William Heise County Park

The spaces are pretty big here, I'd be okay with most of them. #40 is their only pull through, and since we just bought our trailer, I wasn't confident in my backup skills. Drove in under a high wind advisory. Sustained winds of 30 mph and 6 inches of snow. Campground roads were cleared the next morning. We took a short drive into Julian, got groceries and two pieces of pie at Mom's. Under better weather, it could be a crowded campground, but it was only about 5% occupied...and we loved it. Bathrooms were clean. Dump station available. seemed very safe, although, we never saw a ranger. Good cell phone coverage as well.

Asphalt paved sites with water and electric, hilly park because you're in a mountainous area. Very nice park with a number of horseshoe pits located around park, bring your horseshoes! Not sure why but some sites, ours was #30, have the backyards with picnic table and fire ring on the drivers side of site. I would not have picked this site if I could have seen that when making the reservation, hence the 3 stars for site quality. Site 38 highly recommended due to view of mountains and privacy, website states it is a 25' pad but looks a lot longer than that. Arrival is great during the week if you have reservations, simply drive to the site and set up. Narrow roads of course and lots of trees making backing in with a long rig a small challenge. Park is 4 miles from Wynola which has an interesting cider bar, burger bar and antique store, and 1 mile away from Julian, a small old mining town with some very nice shops, restaurants, grocery, pie bakery, cider and liquor stores. Recommend checking out the The Warm Hearth store which is loaded with really nice home goods, clothing, games, and all the usual goodies without being over touristy. The following water warning pops up when selecting a site on the reservation page: "Routine water samples at William Heise Park recently tested positive for the presence of total coliform bacteria. This is not an emergency as total coliform bacteria are naturally present in the environment. There is no need to boil your water or take any other corrective actions but be advised that total coliform could pose an increased risk of contracting water-borne illness for people with compromised immune systems, infants and some elderly. We have conducted follow-up testing to detect other bacteria of greater concern and did not find any of these bacteria in our drinking water. We are currently assessing the drinking water system to determine the source of the contaminants and anticipate resolving the issue soon."

What a wonderful surprise William Heise campground was!! Located in San Diego county, California, it is nestled in the forest at the 4000 ft level. All the campsites were clean and so well thought out that, even though you had neighbors, they were far enough away to allow for some quiet solitude. Some campsites are for dry camping and some RV sites have limited hook ups such, water and electricity only. \The pads as asphalt and there is shade in abundance!! There are beautifully clean showers and bathrooms as well as a dump station. The staff was super friendly!! When we arrived there was a note that said "if you've made reservations on - line, go ahead to your campsite" as there was no ranger at the gate during the weekdays. There are deer, wild turkeys, many birds and squirrels to enjoy. It's a super quiet place and has many trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. The mining town of Julian, CA is just a short drive away where you can enjoy some great food and education about the California gold rush.

I stayed here for a night in May in a tent site. All sites have a fire pit, picnic table and water spigot. Very clean, well maintained & friendly staff. The trails in the area are also good, though not very long. Easy to hike all the trails in a day or two. One minor drawback is the showers, coin operated which is no big deal but the water comes at you like a Luke warm hose. Wouldn’t take a shower unless you have too. I want to come back for some group camping, kids are everywhere here playing which is nice to see.

We’ve been coming here often since we purchased our camper 10 years ago. Spaces 1 - 38 have power and water at the individual sites. All RV spaces are paved and tent spaces have paved vehicle parking. Bathrooms are clean. Dump is easy to access. We regularly see deer and wild turkeys within the campground. Rangers are all super friendly. They sell wood bundles for $5 out of a shed at the entry kiosk and it is an honor pay system during the week when it is slower. The historic town of Julian is a scenic 5 mile drive away and has several things to do. The park is very busy during the summer months, especially on weekends when it is often full. Reservations recommended in summer. $5 reservation fee online. Excellent park!